Higher Education Act
Fact
Sheet
National Council on Disability
1331 F Street, NW, Suite 850
Washington, DC 20004
202-272-2004 Voice
202-272-2074 TTY
202-272-2022 Fax
Lex Frieden, Chairperson
March 3, 2004
The funding authorization for programs in the Higher
Education Act (HEA) of 1965 will expire during the 108th
Congress. In preparing to reauthorize HEA, it is important to focus
on the positive outcomes that have been reported for youth with
disabilities, and to expand and enhance the strategies and practices
that are known to improve outcomes. To guide Congress on disability-related
HEA reauthorization issues, the National Council on Disability (NCD)
published a paper, People with Disabilities and Postsecondary
Education, which can be accessed at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2003/education.htm.
NCD's paper highlights the challenges for students with disabilities
in the nation's university systems and recommends solutions that
would result in better support systems for postsecondary students
with disabilities.
The Issues
Education is the key factor in achieving employment
and thus an enhanced quality of life for people with disabilities.
Students with disabilities, who now are estimated to represent nearly
10 percent of all college students, currently experience postsecondary
outcomes far inferior to those of their non-disabled peers. While
federal law requires a full array of supports and services for students
with disabilities through their high school years, there is little
that has prepared them for the barriers and lack of adequate disability
related supports and services they will face in university systems.
Several interrelated issues impact student preparation and access
to postsecondary education:
- Transition to Postsecondary Education
Students often lack advocacy skills, knowledge of how their disability
will impact their education, and an understanding of how to negotiate
services in postsecondary settings. Many academic and career counselors
lack the necessary skills to provide guidance to students with
disabilities.
- Student Progress in Postsecondary
Education
The retention rates of students with disabilities in postsecondary
education have been considerably low (Stodden, 2001). This is
due to the lack of supports, inconsistent interpretations of accommodation
requirements, and lack of awareness on the part of faculty members
regarding disability issues.
- Financial Aid Barriers
Many students with disabilities are faced with greater costs than
those without disabilities. Many students with disabilities are
forced to pay for disability related accommodations themselves.
They may also require an extended period of time to complete their
degree, which increases the final cost of their education. Most
students with disabilities are not aware that their financial
aid packages can be increased to match their out-of-pocket disability
related expenses calculations, as required by HEA. For more information
please refer to the NCD Youth Advisory Committee paper, Students
with Disabilities Face Financial Aid Barriers
at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/advisory/youth/yac_aidbarriers.htm.
- Difficulties in Interagency Collaboration
Fragmentation and inconsistencies in service provision and differences
in service emphases among educational institutions and service
agencies result in varying information being provided to students
with disabilities.
NCD Recommendations
The following recommendations are designed to help
policy makers attend to the gaps in the knowledge, practices and
policies involving people with disabilities in postsecondary education,
and to build on the progress already made to create a seamless system
to improve the educational outcomes for all students with disabilities.
1) Improve Access to Postsecondary
Education through the Formation of a Federal Commission.
A Federal Commission is needed to investigate and resolve discrepancies
and issues across secondary and postsecondary institutions and to
study and develop solutions for systemic transition problems for
students with disabilities.
2) Improve Access to Postsecondary
Education by Providing Information on Postsecondary Educational
Support Provision. A national Web-based Assessment Center
and Register of organized data and information on disability supports
and services is recommended to enable students and families to better
anticipate what supports and services will be needed, and whether
they are available, in postsecondary settings.
3) Improve Participation and Persistence
in Postsecondary Education through Formation of a National Technical
Assistance Network. A national network of technical assistance
centers should be established to assist faculty and disability support
programs in postsecondary education settings, and to provide effective
practice models, training of faculty and support personnel, and
technical assistance to programs and people with disabilities.
4) Improve Financial Aid for People
with Disabilities in Postsecondary Education with New Flexibility.
Amendments to the Higher Education Act are needed to remove barriers
to financial aid for students with disabilities and to provide funds
for research, demonstrations, and training on disability-related
financial aid issues.
5) Address Emerging Needs through
Targeted Personnel Preparation and Research. Postsecondary
education personnel preparation should include research and training
on disability-related supports and services and should emphasize
recruiting, educating and providing accommodations to teachers with
disabilities.
To address the numerous barriers and gaps in knowledge
that remain, the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act should
contain a mandate to conduct evidence-based research that will yield
a clearinghouse for the collection, classification, and ongoing
dissemination of data regarding the status of people with disabilities
in postsecondary education and subsequent professional employment.
Information provided by the National Council on
Disability, 1331 F Street, N.W., Suite 850, Washington DC 20004.
202-272-2004 (Voice). (202) 272-2074 (TTY). www.ncd.gov.
|